0:00:14.834,0:00:19.501
When was the last time you felt free?

0:00:21.474,0:00:23.014
Really free.

0:00:23.792,0:00:26.958
This idea that our lives' outlines

0:00:26.959,0:00:30.959
are probably wider[br]than what we can imagine.

0:00:32.042,0:00:36.626
The idea, for example,[br]that we always have time to do things.

0:00:37.143,0:00:38.183
That is rare.

0:00:39.062,0:00:41.372
Or that our bodies move freely.

0:00:41.959,0:00:45.084
The idea of freedom[br]where absolutely everything is possible.

0:00:46.501,0:00:50.291
That is a subject[br]that has always inspired me,

0:00:50.292,0:00:55.334
and that is why I have lived[br]in a zen monastery for 15 years.

0:00:57.250,0:01:01.959
There, I learned a lot, in particular[br]thanks to zen master Oliver Wang-Genh.

0:01:02.459,0:01:06.918
It would take an entire TEDx for me[br]to tell you how I barged in

0:01:07.042,0:01:08.543
everything that happened;

0:01:08.584,0:01:11.210
living in a monastery[br]is something really peculiar.

0:01:11.751,0:01:17.252
But today, I mostly want[br]to share with you three key lessons.

0:01:18.125,0:01:21.292
Three significant experiences

0:01:21.292,0:01:25.834
that allowed me to find[br]some kind of inner peace.

0:01:26.834,0:01:33.163
I called the first lesson,[br]"The little bird from the Rising Sun."

0:01:33.164,0:01:35.444
That's my poetic side!

0:01:36.071,0:01:38.020
The story takes place in Japan

0:01:38.021,0:01:40.530
where I threw myself, head first,

0:01:40.542,0:01:44.542
in the adventure[br]of a traditional zen retreat.

0:01:45.417,0:01:48.791
It was in 2008, I landed in Nagoya,

0:01:48.792,0:01:53.082
in a nuns monastery[br]from which, according to the legend,

0:01:53.083,0:01:58.667
most of Western nuns leave[br]as soon as they arrive.

0:01:59.751,0:02:03.710
As a matter of fact,[br]the conditions are very ascetic.

0:02:03.714,0:02:06.334
There is no modern comfort.

0:02:07.154,0:02:09.834
There is no hot water,[br]you do everything with cold water,

0:02:09.835,0:02:15.460
my hands are going to discover[br]what crevices and frostbites are.

0:02:15.876,0:02:18.502
It is the middle of winter,[br]and there is no heating.

0:02:19.989,0:02:22.276
Lots of promiscuity among people,

0:02:22.292,0:02:27.575
we have a 10 square meters room[br]shared by six or seven people.

0:02:27.576,0:02:31.124
Sustained activity all day long.

0:02:31.125,0:02:35.620
That is not that kind of zen,[br]but it goes extremely fast!

0:02:35.621,0:02:38.416
All of it happening in Japanese,

0:02:38.417,0:02:42.126
a language I only understand[br]from Knights of the Zodiac.

0:02:42.146,0:02:44.985
(Laughter)

0:02:44.986,0:02:46.748
I am a bit lost there.

0:02:46.751,0:02:51.374
That is the aim[br]of this very precious lesson:

0:02:51.375,0:02:55.082
push us to the limits[br]until we have to let go.

0:02:55.083,0:02:58.250
After three weeks, my letting go

0:02:58.273,0:03:05.213
is that I am fed up, this is too much!

0:03:06.459,0:03:08.958
One morning, in this monastery,

0:03:08.959,0:03:12.460
all on my own,[br]with no contact with Europe,

0:03:12.471,0:03:13.821
I decide to leave.

0:03:15.250,0:03:21.500
That day, in me, is a huge disappointment.

0:03:22.025,0:03:26.295
I had put so much hope in this journey.

0:03:27.278,0:03:31.668
And here I am, with knots in my stomach.

0:03:32.615,0:03:36.097
I gather my stuff in the room,[br]I am on my own.

0:03:37.760,0:03:40.010
At some point, I look up, like that.

0:03:41.709,0:03:45.418
Through the window,

0:03:45.542,0:03:51.917
I notice a branch, covered in snow,[br]and on top of it, a little bird.

0:03:54.792,0:03:58.875
It is so... delicate!

0:03:58.876,0:04:00.500
It is so beautiful!

0:04:00.501,0:04:05.127
It shakes itself to smooth its feathers.

0:04:05.406,0:04:07.566
And for me, at that moment,

0:04:08.250,0:04:11.876
the feeling of resentment[br]and disappointment gives way to awe

0:04:11.876,0:04:15.293
as I face its magnificence!

0:04:16.959,0:04:20.959
A wave of tenderness comes[br]rushing from deep within.

0:04:21.738,0:04:24.197
What if that was the teaching

0:04:24.198,0:04:26.978
I had traveled 10,000 kilometers for?

0:04:28.125,0:04:33.834
Feelings and thoughts,[br]in general, are impermanent.

0:04:34.847,0:04:39.066
They appear, and can also disappear.

0:04:39.067,0:04:40.397
One moment there is anger,

0:04:40.417,0:04:45.500
the next there is awe[br]as I face the magnificence of the world.

0:04:46.959,0:04:50.917
I think we all have experienced it[br]during our daily lives.

0:04:50.918,0:04:52.247
For example at work,

0:04:52.250,0:04:57.791
one colleague annoys us,[br]we are in conflict, we dwell on it,

0:04:57.792,0:05:02.317
then if we get a call from a friend[br]who tells us a joke,

0:05:02.318,0:05:04.317
all of a sudden, we burst out laughing.

0:05:04.501,0:05:10.793
This ability is the first lesson:[br]feelings are impermanent,

0:05:11.087,0:05:13.027
a little bird told me.

0:05:14.876,0:05:19.835
The second lesson is a bit different;

0:05:20.896,0:05:23.036
I called it, "What's in my head?"

0:05:24.542,0:05:26.334
I won't tell you everything!

0:05:26.459,0:05:27.501
(Laughter)

0:05:27.751,0:05:34.543
It is this idea that for feelings[br]to appear, and more importantly disappear,

0:05:35.375,0:05:37.334
we shouldn't dwell on them.

0:05:38.167,0:05:40.834
In general, we tend to get relive it.

0:05:41.501,0:05:44.751
Something happens that we don't like,[br]and then we brood.

0:05:44.752,0:05:48.583
We all kind of work that way,[br]that's natural.

0:05:48.584,0:05:51.168
But in order to stop brooding,

0:05:51.292,0:05:55.417
we need to understand,[br]to realize what we are doing!

0:05:55.918,0:06:01.488
And so, we need to know better[br]what is inside our heads.

0:06:01.489,0:06:04.489
What's in my head?

0:06:04.501,0:06:09.002
I experienced it once[br]when I was seated, mediating,

0:06:09.876,0:06:13.085
as Buddha, peacefully[br]- I could not do it -

0:06:15.543,0:06:17.463
and at that moment, the master said,

0:06:17.959,0:06:24.084
"Let your thoughts and feelings pass by[br]as clouds in the sky."

0:06:25.626,0:06:30.124
It was beautiful,[br]and it made me terribly angry!

0:06:30.125,0:06:32.876
Because my feelings were not

0:06:32.876,0:06:37.460
"some small, peaceful misty clouds[br]in a deep blue sky,"

0:06:37.501,0:06:42.793
but rather some big, black,[br]dense cumulonimbus

0:06:42.834,0:06:44.917
that tended to stagnate.

0:06:45.501,0:06:48.668
I looked like a peaceful Buddha,[br]but on the inside, I was seething.

0:06:49.083,0:06:53.792
I was really motivated to achieve it,

0:06:54.042,0:06:56.584
so I studied a lot, and today,

0:06:56.626,0:07:00.293
I want to allow you to save some time.

0:07:00.435,0:07:01.541
(Laughter)

0:07:01.542,0:07:06.876
I would like to propose[br]a small exercise, right now.

0:07:07.501,0:07:08.960
Are you OK with that?

0:07:09.068,0:07:10.174
Audience: Yes!

0:07:11.250,0:07:17.001
KT: Sit comfortably in your chairs.[br]That is a short moment of relaxation.

0:07:20.125,0:07:24.496
You will be able to study,[br]to discover with passion

0:07:24.497,0:07:27.372
what is in your heads and in your bodies.

0:07:27.717,0:07:29.567
Now close your eyes.

0:07:31.250,0:07:37.584
Focus on the contact[br]between your body and the chair.

0:07:37.626,0:07:41.585
Become aware that you are here,[br]seated, in this room, at this moment:

0:07:41.602,0:07:43.611
that is the present moment.

0:07:43.612,0:07:45.392
Where are we right now?

0:07:47.501,0:07:51.167
Then, you can explore,

0:07:51.168,0:07:54.828
become Indiana Jones in your mind.

0:07:57.375,0:08:03.750
I will guide so that you know[br]what forms your thoughts can take.

0:08:04.876,0:08:10.418
You might have thoughts[br]in the form of pictures,

0:08:12.959,0:08:15.626
as a movie that takes place inside of you,

0:08:16.679,0:08:18.639
or light that flashes,

0:08:19.250,0:08:23.249
or a memory of the place where you are,

0:08:23.250,0:08:26.709
or of the person[br]who is currently speaking.

0:08:26.834,0:08:30.418
That is called[br]a visual mental representation.

0:08:33.847,0:08:37.496
For other people, there might be sounds.

0:08:37.501,0:08:41.501
And what we call[br]"the little voice in your head."

0:08:42.501,0:08:44.210
Sometimes, it is talkative,

0:08:44.334,0:08:45.584
it is a little voice

0:08:45.585,0:08:51.876
that comments, tells, analyzes,[br]says parts of sentences,

0:08:51.876,0:08:54.210
and sometimes sings on the inside.

0:08:56.209,0:08:59.543
The little voice in the head,[br]that is the inner dialogue.

0:09:02.641,0:09:04.261
What's in your head?

0:09:05.906,0:09:06.996
Pictures?

0:09:08.738,0:09:10.788
A little voice?

0:09:13.417,0:09:17.791
The last form of thinking[br]is called kinesthetic,

0:09:17.792,0:09:22.376
this is all the feelings[br]we have in our bodies.

0:09:24.209,0:09:29.251
For example, hot, cold,[br]the contact with the chair,

0:09:29.270,0:09:31.209
heavy, light.

0:09:32.459,0:09:36.418
But also the all range of emotions

0:09:36.518,0:09:39.762
that we feel in our bodies.

0:09:39.773,0:09:42.223
Joy, anger, sadness, and the rest.

0:09:44.960,0:09:47.039
Three possible form of thinking.

0:09:47.040,0:09:49.258
In one moment, you will open your eyes,

0:09:49.259,0:09:52.584
and you will know more[br]about how you function inside.

0:09:52.626,0:09:55.500
Do you mostly see pictures,

0:09:55.501,0:10:01.127
hear a little voice, feel emotions,[br]or a physical sensation, and so on?

0:10:03.167,0:10:05.751
This is really pleasant, but...

0:10:05.887,0:10:08.277
You can now open your eyes!

0:10:08.292,0:10:11.501
You have new knowledge[br]about yourself, that's a first step.

0:10:14.501,0:10:16.085
This is interesting to know,

0:10:16.209,0:10:18.960
because you can better observe[br]your functioning.

0:10:20.542,0:10:25.376
Each one of you can do it[br]at any moment during the day.

0:10:26.417,0:10:31.751
Then, there was the third lesson.

0:10:32.501,0:10:34.751
I discovered it by chance.

0:10:35.417,0:10:38.667
I called it, "the periscope,"[br]you will soon find out why.

0:10:39.250,0:10:42.834
I discovered it earlier on, in 2003.

0:10:43.250,0:10:48.584
In 2003, I was performing[br]in French music concerts

0:10:49.224,0:10:50.444
for American people,

0:10:52.501,0:10:56.543
in front of audiences[br]of around 150 or 200 people.

0:10:58.375,0:11:01.542
During the first concert, I got on stage,

0:11:01.964,0:11:05.193
like that, exactly like tonight,

0:11:05.209,0:11:08.168
but I didn't have[br]the same clothes or the same haircut.

0:11:08.501,0:11:09.501
(Laughter)

0:11:09.542,0:11:15.751
Then I start singing in that repertoire,[br]and then... stage fright!

0:11:15.792,0:11:18.917
My legs are shaking, my heart is pounding,

0:11:20.125,0:11:23.709
all the symptoms of stage fright[br]appear all of a sudden.

0:11:24.501,0:11:28.501
Fortunately, at that time,[br]I already meditated a lot.

0:11:29.209,0:11:32.209
As all of this occurred,

0:11:32.959,0:11:37.288
some kind of observing conscience appeared

0:11:37.289,0:11:41.249
spontaneously and automatically.

0:11:41.250,0:11:44.084
What I mean is, I am singing,

0:11:44.250,0:11:48.436
I feel the stage fright inside of my body,

0:11:48.437,0:11:50.146
some symptoms.

0:11:50.167,0:11:51.417
And at the same time,

0:11:51.501,0:11:56.875
there is a conscience that allows me[br]to keep my head above water.

0:11:56.876,0:12:02.001
My head is free,[br]I can go on with my concert.

0:12:02.042,0:12:05.251
Imagine, I start singing[br]and then stage fright.

0:12:06.066,0:12:08.976
(Sings "La vie en rose")

0:12:18.042,0:12:20.251
And at the same time, it is observing.

0:12:21.209,0:12:25.085
That is the witness-conscience,[br]the observing conscience.

0:12:25.125,0:12:30.958
It observes the feeling[br]and, as it is observed - it's magical! -

0:12:30.959,0:12:33.710
the feeling eases off!

0:12:34.501,0:12:36.917
You just have to observe it

0:12:36.918,0:12:42.999
for the unpleasant feelings to gradually[br]appear, and then naturally disappear,

0:12:43.000,0:12:45.125
like what I was telling you[br]in the beginning.

0:12:47.250,0:12:49.584
I called it "the periscope."

0:12:49.626,0:12:55.124
You all know the Grey rod,[br]that is on top of submarines,

0:12:55.125,0:13:00.250
that can come out of water,[br]like a duck, to observe the landscape.

0:13:01.667,0:13:06.454
With that kind of conscience,[br]we are both in and out of the water,

0:13:06.455,0:13:10.204
we are both connected[br]and dissociated from the experience,

0:13:10.332,0:13:13.027
both inside and outside.

0:13:13.042,0:13:19.277
This means that we are very alive,[br]we feel things completely,

0:13:19.278,0:13:21.716
because we do not want to become robots!

0:13:21.717,0:13:27.217
But our heads are free[br]and we feel relief deep inside of us.

0:13:28.167,0:13:32.167
This was the third significant event[br]of the past few years.

0:13:32.292,0:13:37.375
The first: feelings appear[br]and disappear naturally.

0:13:37.709,0:13:40.627
The second: we can know

0:13:40.767,0:13:46.226
what form our thoughts and feelings take:

0:13:46.584,0:13:50.249
visual, auditory[br]- the little voice in the head -

0:13:50.250,0:13:53.250
or kinesthetic -[br]the sensations of the body.

0:13:53.251,0:13:56.791
The third: it is possible to discover

0:13:56.792,0:14:00.834
this wonderful observing conscience,[br]witness-conscience,

0:14:00.834,0:14:06.335
that allows us to be present[br]and fully free.

0:14:07.000,0:14:08.459
Isn't it neat?

0:14:08.605,0:14:09.749
(Laughter)

0:14:09.751,0:14:11.210
It is not over yet!

0:14:11.334,0:14:16.376
To conclude, I want to propose[br]a small ritual for the day.

0:14:17.876,0:14:21.876
Or rather a small ritual for the morning,[br]as morning is a key moment,

0:14:22.011,0:14:24.374
that will allow you to implement,

0:14:24.375,0:14:28.458
or even incarnate[br]these three things in one exercise.

0:14:28.751,0:14:29.876
Are you up for it?

0:14:30.024,0:14:31.039
Audience: Yes!

0:14:31.709,0:14:33.501
KT: Imagine yourself in the morning.

0:14:35.269,0:14:36.659
The alarm goes off.

0:14:38.501,0:14:44.168
Generally, you snooze it, once, twice...

0:14:44.485,0:14:46.375
And at some point, you have to get up.

0:14:46.522,0:14:49.262
At that point, what I propose is,

0:14:50.250,0:14:53.459
either while lying down,[br]or you might sit on the side of the bed,

0:14:53.459,0:14:55.960
what I propose that can change lives

0:14:56.209,0:15:01.334
is to become aware[br]of your first thought in the morning!

0:15:02.715,0:15:03.975
That's it.

0:15:04.167,0:15:09.250
Is it a picture,[br]a little voice in your head,

0:15:09.542,0:15:13.917
a feeling, or a sensation in your body?

0:15:14.334,0:15:17.210
Then do it with the second[br]and the third thoughts.

0:15:18.417,0:15:24.626
At that moment, naturally,[br]you will change your habits;

0:15:24.876,0:15:30.251
you will become aware of this hum,[br]this windmill in your head.

0:15:31.209,0:15:35.543
What is wonderful is that,[br]at this point, you get up,

0:15:35.584,0:15:39.121
not as a robot anymore,[br]going to the coffee machine,

0:15:39.122,0:15:41.625
not fully awake.

0:15:41.626,0:15:43.876
You get up mindful!

0:15:44.626,0:15:47.750
You find this freedom inside of you again.

0:15:47.751,0:15:52.333
Not as a robot anymore,[br]but as an actor of your daily life.

0:15:52.334,0:15:56.793
This is the source - trust me -[br]of an immense inner relief.

0:15:56.959,0:16:02.751
And you know that during the day to come,[br]everything is possible!

0:16:04.049,0:16:06.959
(Applause)